Dairy is one of the big dietary offenders when people are suffering health issues. In the wrong form or in too large a quantity it can be pro-inflammatory. Plus, many people develop the inability to digest it as they age. When I had to cut out dairy for the 3rd time in my life, my first thought was ‘but what about my cheese?’. Anyone who knows me, knows that I love my cheese. Go to a special event with me, and I’m that person that comes away from the snack table with a mountain of cheese and a few other items on my plate….sometimes multiple times. Needless to say, removing dairy was a hard piece for me. One thing I am grateful for is the evolution of non-dairy milk options. When I first recalled dairy free options, all I could think of was that super thin watery rice milk that was the best non-dairy option the last few times I had to go dairy free. Each time I’ve removed dairy I also had to avoid soy, so alternative choices were low. This time, I had a few more options, and I fell in love with coconut milk. It was creamy and a little thicker and gave a great flavour to all the items I needed to replace milk with. I still would not sit down and drink a cold glass of coconut milk like I would cow or goat’s milk, but using it in all other applications, I’m so satisfied with it. My son likes it too. When I was weaning him, we introduced straight coconut milk and he was very happy with it. I also like the fact that it has a great fat content which is perfect for little growing people, and big people too!
Other dairy replacements took a little longer to find the right ones. The last time I removed dairy there was one big brand for alternative cheese, yes it’s always about the cheese. The brand Daiya, was the best alternative cheeses I found. It was still different, again I wouldn’t just sit down and eat a slice of it, or 5, but I would use it in cooking and it satisfied my need for cheese.
I do find with some alternative ingredients there can be an adjustment period where you grow accustom to it. I know I had a few people try Daiya cheese, and they weren’t big fans, but compared to not having anything, it was great. More recently, because my son is still dairy free, I’ve continued to look at the growing number of alternative options. The hardest part of the dairy free market at the moment is the new, and delicious, trend of cashew cheese. This is a wonderfully creamy addition to our dairy free cheese options, but when tree nuts are on the ‘can’t eat’ list, it’s a little discouraging. For those who are able to eat cashew based alternative dairy, I would suggest trying it. Most cashew cheeses come in a creamy form, so it is often easy to use like you would cream cheese. [I will list below some of my favourite cashew based cheese alternatives.]
Some of us are lucky enough that we can have alternative animal dairy products. One of the most common and popular is goat milk/goat milk products. Goat milk is closer to resembling human milk, so it’s easier to process than cow's milk. Not everyone is a fan since it has a different taste to it, but I highly enjoy it. Others feel it’s too earthy of a flavour. Another alternate animal milk that is gaining popularity is buffalo milk. Again, it’s one that is easier to digest, people who test sensitive to cow's milk may be able to tolerate buffalo milk. This is because animal milk contains two different types of the casein protein, A1 and A2. Many times a casein intolerance or allergy is to A1, but not to A2. More to come in a later post about that.
If lactose is your only dairy concern, I’d like to share about fermented cheese. Yes, cheese was originally produced by fermenting the raw milk. This process ‘eats up’ the lactose as a food for the fermenting bacteria. Which means when the cheese is done, the lactose is no longer there. If you are just sensitive to diary, sometimes it is possible to reintroduce fermented raw milk cheese to see if you are able to tolerate it. Along with animal milks that only contain the A2 casein protein. This has been a success for me, but it’s still a little rough on my digestive system if I indulge too much. That’s what makes each of us unique, so if you’re dealing with sensitivities, cut it out completely until your system says its happy (minimum 3 weeks), then slowly experiment adding in some easier digested options and see how you respond. Remember, for sensitivities it takes up to 3 days to notice any symptoms. So indulge in your experimental product one day. Then wait 3 days to notice any changes. If you ok, try adding it in slowly every few days and pay attention to how you are feeling.
Here are some of my favourite vegan dairy alternatives:
So Delicious - Unsweetened Coconut milk
Riviera - Coconut yogurt
Scheese - Herb and Garlic Cream Cheese
My Dairy Free Alfredo Sauce – click here for recipe
Namaste – Say Cheese Mac n Cheese (GF too) – see my review
Fauxmagerie Zengarry - variety of cashew creamy cheese options
Nuts for Cheese - variety of cashew creamy cheese options
Here are of my favourite alternative animal dairy products:
Hewitt’s - Goat milk, yogurt and sour cream
H.O.P.E. Eco Farms - Buffalo milk Kefir
L'ancetre Cheese- raw cow milk cheese (lactose free)
Sheldon Creek - Guernsey Milk (A2 protein) comes in chocolate too!
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